Second Round: (8) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. Roberta Vinci, 6-2, 6-4
On paper, this match couldn't be closer: Pavlyuchenkova is ranked 18th in the world, and Vinci is ranked 19th. But the comparisons end there. At twenty years old, the eighth-seeded Russian is eight years younger than her veteran opponent; and, standing 5'10", Pavlyuchenkova is six inches taller than Vinci. Their games are contrasting as well, with Pavlyuchenkova hitting hard, heavy shots, and Vinci relying on spin and placement. And, despite their similar rankings, Vinci wasn't able to trouble Pavlyuchenkova Wednesday. In particular, her second serve let her down; Vinci won only three of eighteen points on her second delivery. The Italian tried to keep the ball low with her backhand slice, but Pavlyuchenkova was up to the challenge. Vinci rallied briefly in the second set, battling from 0-3 down to tie it at 3-3, but some costly errors in the final game gave Pavlyuchenkova the break and the match. Pavlyuchenkova has struggled since squandering a 6-1, 4-1 lead against Schiavone in the French Open in May, but she appeared to be in-form today.
Second Round: (2) Na Li def. Maria Kirilenko, 6-4, 7-6(4)
Na Li had played in New Haven only once before, in 2006, when she won a first round match before having to withdraw from the event. Her first round opponent in 2006? Maria Kirilenko. This match was much closer than their 2006 encounter, when Li dropped only three games. Both players were struggling with errors early, and Kirilenko in particular framed a few backhands in the opening set. But Li hit enough winners to compensate for her errors, and battled from a break down to take the opening set, 6-4. Li quickly found herself down a break again in the second set, with Kirilenko racing to a 4-1 lead. The reigning French Open champion steadied herself and swept 12 of the next 15 points to pull even at 4-4, then dominated the tiebreak to advance to the Quarterfinals in straight sets.
Around the grounds...
Some drama unfolded in the Medina Garrigues/Vesnina match, with Vesnina serving at 5-5 in the second set. Medina Garrigues complained of some reflections coming from the Russian's courtside box. After the match, Medina Garrigues approached Vesnina explaining she did not intend to disturb her during her service game, and the two had a brief discussion before leaving the court... Medina Garrigues was surprised to learn of her unbeaten record against Schiavone. "She never beat me? No?" She explained her surprise: "We play a lot of times, and we're very old on the tour."... Li feels that her opponents are playing better against her since she won the French Open title. "[It's] not like before, 'oh, OK, I beat her.' But now, if they win, 'oh, I beat French Open champion!'"... Despite winning a Grand Slam title, Li maintains her perspective: "Tennis just sport. It doesn't change anything."... The top four seeds are still in the New Haven Open draw, and will try to comprise the four semifinal spots for the first time since 2001, when Lindsay Davenport, Jennifer Capriati, Venus Williams, and Kim Clijsters all reached the semis.
